Shooter near Encinitas schools had BB gun

A report that someone was shooting from a car near San Dieguito Academy Wednesday afternoon put three schools on lockdown for about 45 minutes, until sheriff’s deputies took one person with a BB rifle into custody, authorities said.

A witness reported at 1:40 p.m. that someone was firing a rifle, possible a pellet gun, from a red car on Faith Avenue near MacKinnon Avenue, one block east of Interstate 5, sheriff’s Lt. William Donohue said.

Deputies notified San Dieguito Union High School District officials and began looking for the shooter, who might have had male and female companions, Donohue said.

School district officials said the academy went on lockdown, along with Sunset High School and Oak Crest Middle School. A law enforcement helicopter circled the area west of the school and over the freeway.

Deputies found one or more people with a BB rifle at a residence on Faith Avenue about 2:25 p.m., Donohue said. One person was taken into custody. The schools lifted their lockdowns a short time later.